Unpacking the friction in local ownership of security sector reform in Afghanistan

Abstract

In Afghanistan, peacebuilding is conducted in parallel to the military involvement. This article unpacks some of the frictional encounters that emerge during efforts to promote local ownership of the security sector reform which seeks to prepare Afghan actors for taking full responsibility for security from 2014. It contributes to the research field both empirically by shedding light on the insider attacks in the context of police training, and theoretically by developing the challenges of local ownership in relation to international support to institutional reconstruction. The outcomes of these frictional encounters include a lowering of the ambition of the international engagement to ?Afghan good enough?, an orphaned peace process, and an uneasy coexistence of informal and formal security organisations.In Afghanistan, peacebuilding is conducted in parallel to the military involvement. This article unpacks some of the frictional encounters that emerge during efforts to promote local ownership of the security sector reform which seeks to prepare Afghan actors for taking full responsibility for security from 2014. It contributes to the research field both empirically by shedding light on the insider attacks in the context of police training, and theoretically by developing the challenges of local ownership in relation to international support to institutional reconstruction. The outcomes of these frictional encounters include a lowering of the ambition of the international engagement to ?Afghan good enough?, an orphaned peace process, and an uneasy coexistence of informal and formal security organisations.